"Your mother is using the alias Achan. You may send people to inquire about her. I will only give you two days." Empress Dowager Xu waved her hand, dismissing the servants.
Zhao Zhiyan used his inner strength to shatter the paper in his hand, and a smile appeared on his lips: "So the Empress Dowager didn't actually want Mother to enter the palace today; she had already calculated that I would come!"
Empress Dowager Xu smiled but remained silent.
"Has the Empress Dowager ever considered the Xu family's situation?"
"The Xu family has already abandoned me, so why would I consider their interests?" Empress Dowager Xu shook her head, as if to say, "Don't try to fool me." "Eighth Prince, things have come to this point, so I might as well tell you the truth. I've thought it through these past few days. If we fight like the snipe and the clam, others will profit. Why don't we cooperate? Perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope."
Zhao Zhiyan lowered his eyes, concealing the disdain in them.
"After all, I am the Empress Dowager and raised the Emperor. On the surface, as long as I don't make any mistakes, no one can do anything to me. But you are different. You were the Crown Prince, which is a thorn in the side of any new emperor. The Emperor is playing hard to get and inciting our two families to fight, and then he put you in that position. He never intended to let you live."
Empress Dowager Xu had a very clear understanding of things. Zhao Zhiyan could have been a dashing and highly respected Eighth Prince. No matter who came to power, they would have treated the Eighth Prince with great respect.
Things are different now. The Eighth Prince missed out on the throne, which means he is destined to harbor ambitions. Which emperor could tolerate the Eighth Prince continuing to roam under his nose?
It was the Emperor of Northern Chu who personally cut off Zhao Zhiyan's escape route.
Zhao Zhiyan pursed his lips and remained silent, his eyes already filled with coldness.
"I have only two requests: the position of Empress Dowager can only be mine, and after my death, I can only be buried with Emperor Taizu. Also, the Empress must not be Xu Lingqing. Agree to these two conditions, and I will support you without hesitation!"
Empress Dowager Xu spoke very seriously.
Zhao Zhiyan looked up; "How can the Empress Dowager guarantee that this person won't be found by the Crown Princess's people?"
"The Crown Princess is just a young girl. I only let it go before because of the Emperor. If I didn't have some skills, how could I have climbed to the position of Empress Dowager?" Empress Dowager Xu said arrogantly.
It was already afternoon when Zhao Zhiyan left. He anxiously went to visit Consort Rou, only to find that Xu Lingqing was missing.
Consort Rou huffed and puffed, "That two-faced woman, I didn't see her when I woke up. She left not long after you left."
"Where is the princess?"
The maidservant said, "Reporting to Your Highness, Princess Liang Ying sent someone to deliver a letter to the Princess Consort, who left after seeing it."
Zhao Zhiyan frowned.
"Yan'er." Consort Rou had no time to deal with Xu Lingqing right now and anxiously asked, "What does the Empress Dowager want with you?"
The thought of being threatened made Zhao Zhiyan feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a dead fly. Seeing the innocent expression on Consort Rou's face, she felt even more choked up and shook her head: "It's nothing."
Consort Rou didn't believe it and insisted on asking Zhao Zhiyan. He took a deep breath and said, "It's just some official business. He just wanted to use Mother. I will handle these matters."
Seeing that he was getting angry, Consort Rou had no choice but to give up.
As evening approached and the person still hadn't returned, Zhao Zhiyan sent someone to inquire with Princess Liang Ying, only to learn that the two had gathered at Tianxiang Tower for about an hour before parting ways.
Zhao Zhiyan belatedly realized that something was wrong: "Someone, quickly go and find out where the princess is."
After searching all night, Zhao Zhiyan finally found out that Xu Lingqing had left the capital by carriage, and went to Princess Liang Ying's residence the next day.
“I invited her to Tianxiang Restaurant for business. She took 100,000 taels of silver from me, saying she had something important to do. After so many years of cooperation, how could I not help with such a small matter?”
Princess Liang Ying looked completely innocent: "What, the Eighth Princess Consort hasn't gone back yet?"
“No.” Zhao Zhiyan frowned.
Xu Lingqing would have told me if she wanted to leave, instead of leaving quietly. But where would she go?
"Princess, if there is any news about the Princess Consort, please send someone to inform her." After saying this, Zhao Zhiyan turned and left the Princess's residence.
As she watched the person leave, Princess Liang Ying's heart slowly calmed down. She clasped her hands together and silently prayed, "Please, please don't let anyone escape."
Guangjia Prince's Mansion
Xu Lingqing disappeared for a day and a night. It was quiet outside. She sat anxiously in a chair, looking out.
The entire area was guarded by the Imperial Guards.
Her only activity area was a small room where the maid would leave food at the door without saying a word to her.
Xu Lingqing frowned and sighed.
How could one not be anxious when trapped in the Prince's mansion?
The maidservant brought food again, and Xu Lingqing hurriedly stepped forward: "Miss, please inform her that I wish to see the Crown Princess."
After placing the food down, the maid left without looking back.
Xu Lingqing grew anxious and said to the Imperial Guards, "I want to see the Crown Princess."
The Imperial Guards ignored them, remaining as steadfast as wooden stakes.
Helpless, she could only wait anxiously.
Meanwhile, the person who had been bribed by the Xu family was found. It was the eldest son of the third branch of the family, who had lost money at the gambling den and was captured by the Prince of Zhennan.
He secretly gave Pei Zhao a lot of silver notes, and Xu San Gongzi risked his life to secretly slip the medicine to him during the mourning ceremony.
With daily medication, Pei Zhao's complexion visibly improved.
Xu Qing'er was meticulous and was the first to notice something was wrong. She also found the traitor, but instead of exposing him, she tried every means to add more medicine to the medicine given by the Third Young Master Xu.
After Pei Zhao applied the medicine, the wound not only failed to heal but became even more ulcerated.
"How could this be?" Young Master Xu panicked.
Pei Zhao's condition took a sharp turn for the worse. In a fit of rage, he started shoving and pushing Xu San Gongzi in the mourning hall, which caused the candles to overturn and set the coffin on fire.
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